We find the gift store we’d thought of and browse the shelves and rails. For the most part, it’s full of tacky gifts, but there are some gems to be found.
“What about this?” Auggie shows me a mug with ‘Ah! The Element of Surprise’ on it. The ‘Ah!’ is printed in the style of the periodic table.
I snort-laugh. “That’s brilliant. But if we’re getting him a mug, he needs a coaster to go with it.”
I quickly thumb through the ones on the shelf beside me, eventually settling on one that has the symbol for pi in the centre and its numerical value in a spiral around it.
“Perfect.” Auggie scratches his jaw. “We could put together a gift basket of nerdy things.”
“Things to make Em smile?”
“Exactly. I saw a T-shirt I think he’d like. It’s over here.”
I follow him to the back of the shop. After a moment of searching, he pulls a T-shirt off the rail which says ‘Two kinds of nerds: May the force be a: equal to mass times acceleration or b: with you.’
“Which would he pick?” Auggie asks.
My chin trembles as I press my lips together so I don’t burst out laughing again. “Probably both.”
We spend the next hour choosing gifts for Em. We go overboard, but there are too many things in the store that we’re sure he’ll appreciate. Every time Auggie shows me something he’s found, my heart melts. Either he knows Em better than I thought, or the two of us are on the same wavelength as far as nerdy gifts are concerned. Maybe it’s a bit of both. Either way, it makes me warm inside.
“Do you know anywhere that makes custom keyrings?” I ask after we’ve gone through the till.
“Maybe one of the key-cutting places will. Or there’s a photography shop. They might. We could look in the market too. Why?”
“Just an idea for one last present. It’s fine. I’ll sort it out another day.”
“Are you going to let me in on your idea?”
I shake my head. “No. Not this one.”
He waggles his eyebrows, making me laugh. “Intriguing. Let me buy you lunch. Then we can find a box to put Emory’s presents in.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know, but I want to.” His smile is infectious.
The restaurants in Trinity are crazy busy, so we end up on the other side of town, near the concert arena, at an expensive all-you-can-eat Japanese.
“Don’t worry about the cost. It’s my treat. I’m a spoilt rich kid, remember?” Auggie grins, but there’s a hint of sadness in his voice.
“If you’re sure—”
“I am.”
I shift my weight from foot to foot. We’re two friends going out for lunch. That’s all there is to it, so why does it feel like a date? I shove the thought out of my head. It’s not. We’re the ends of the vee. Our relationships are with Em, not each other. But we can be friends. And friends are allowed to have lunch together.
There are fake sakura trees in the centre of the restaurant, some with pink petals and others with blue. The lighting is low, and the vibe is friendly. We’re given a tablet with the menu, which is how we order. The choice is great, and the food comes rapidly after we’ve ordered our first round.
“How did you know this place existed?” I ask.
“We ate here when my parents dropped me off at uni at the start of Freshers Week last year. It’s the one and only time they’ve come to Leeds.”
“They don’t visit?”
“They’re busy with work. It’s fine.”
“Is it?”
